CHICAGO – Mark Bell scored two goals and Nikolai Khabibulin made 26 saves to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers,

Duncan Keith had a goal and an assist for Chicago, which converted its first two shots against Edmonton goalie Jussi Markkanen and was outshot 27-19.

Fernando Pisani converted a breakaway for Edmonton’s only goal.

Markkanen, making his 14th straight start, finished with 16 saves.

The Oilers killed all three Chicago penalties and have erased 17 straight opposing advantages. The Blackhawks’ penalty killers were 8-for-8.

The Blackhawks led 3-0 after the first period, despite being outshot 11-5.

Keith opened the scoring at 10:15 on Chicago’s first shot on goal. After skating from his own zone, Keith pulled up just inside the Edmonton blue line and fooled Markkanen with a wrist shot that bounced in off his right pad.

With 6:47 left, Bell made it 2-0 on the Blackhawks’ second shot.

Bell broke in alone off left wing and was hooked by Edmonton’s Steve Staios. As he belly-flopped to the ice, Bell tucked a shot past Markkanen’s right skate.

Bell extended Chicago’s lead to 3-0 just two minutes later. His wrist shot from the right circle handcuffed Markkanen and sailed past his right shoulder.

Pisani broke in alone and cut it to 3-1 at 7:22 of the second. He picked up a loose puck, got by the Chicago defense, and slid a backhanded shot between Khabibulin’s pads.

Khabibulin made several tough saves in that period, including a quick glove save on Horcoff’s 15-foot wrist shot with 6:20 to go. He again robbed Horcoff midway through the third period when the forward fired an open shot from the edge of the crease.

With Markkanen pulled for a sixth attacker in the final minute of regulation, Bell missed on two bids for his first NHL hat trick. He hit the post with one shot and fired wide on another attempt from the Chicago blue line.

Notes: Bell’s two-goal game was his first this season and third of his career. … Chicago D Jassen Cullimore returned after missing three games with the flu. Blackhawks D Todd Simpson was a healthy scratch. … Edmonton D Alexei Semenov and RW Jani Rita were healthy scratches. … C Krys Kolanos, claimed by the Oilers on waivers from Phoenix on Friday, wasn’t in the Edmonton lineup.

AP-ES-11-13-05 2141EST


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.